Catcher

Foul tips, bouncing balls in the dirt, and contact with runners during plays at the plate are all events to be handled by the catcher, necessitating the use of protective equipment.

This includes a mask, chest and throat protectors, shin guards, and a heavily padded catcher's mitt.

Because the position requires a comprehensive understanding of the game's strategies, the pool of former catchers yields a disproportionate number of managers in both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball, including such prominent examples as Yogi Berra, Connie Mack, Steve O'Neill, Al López, Mike Scioscia, Joe Girardi, Stephen Vogt, and Joe Torre.

[1] The physical and mental demands of being involved on every defensive play can wear catchers down over a long season, and can have a negative effect on their offensive output.

[2] A knowledgeable catcher's ability to work with the pitcher, via pitch selection and location, can diminish the effectiveness of the opposing team's offense.

[6] As the game progressed towards professionals and became more serious, pitchers began to attempt to prevent the batter from hitting the ball by throwing faster pitches.

[6] With the introduction of the called strike in 1858, catchers began inching closer to home plate due to the rules requirement that a strikeout could only be completed by a catch.

[6] The progression of the catcher positioning themselves closer to the plate would lead to changes in pitching deliveries that would revolutionize the sport.

[6] In the 1870s, pitcher Candy Cummings was able to introduce the curveball because his catcher, Nat Hicks, fielded his position in close proximity to home plate and was able to catch the deceptive pitch.

[6] The combination of the new, harder ball and the continuation of the rise in pitcher's release points helped usher in what became known as the Dead-ball era.

[6] The decrease in run production placed greater significance on stolen bases and bunts, which in turn emphasized the crucial defensive role played by catchers.

To perform this properly, without the ball being deflected in an undesirable direction, the catcher must angle their body so that their chest is always leaning forward, toward home plate.

[1] Calling the game refers to the act of catchers deciding the type of pitch delivered to home plate.

[1] It is not unusual for a catcher to briefly look at the posture and position of the batter-in-turn prior to calling the next pitch; even the way a batter holds the bat may shed some indication of what the strategy may be.

The selection of which pitch to use can depend on a wide variety of situations such as the type of hitter that is being faced, whether there are any base runners, how many outs have been made in the inning, or the current score, among others.

Although the pitcher has a responsibility to throw with reasonable accuracy, catchers must be mobile enough to catch (or block) errant pitches.

In this case, the catcher must turn their back to the field in order to properly account for the spin of the ball, which often follows unpredictable paths.

Fielding weakly hit fair ground balls (including bunts) in front of home plate in order to throw to a base to complete a groundout or a fielder's choice play.

The catcher must avoid hitting the batter-runner with the thrown ball, implying that they must move to a position in which they have a clear throw to the infielder at first base.

The catcher is often obliged to catch a ball thrown from a fielder and to tag out a runner arriving from third base.

Rarely, a catcher can make a successful pick-off throw to a base to surprise an inattentive or incautious baserunner.

Especially at the higher levels of baseball (where this play almost never results in an out), the catcher's snap throws are mainly for psychological effect.

Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals and former MLB catcher Iván Rodríguez are known for using pickoffs with success, particularly at first base.

On an attempt to prevent a stolen base, a catcher's bad throw might careen past the infielder and skip into the outfield, allowing an additional advance by the baserunner.

[citation needed] Naturally, the potential problem with this arrangement is that if the pitcher prefers to work with the team's backup catcher, then the regular catcher—presumably the better player—must be benched.

Personal catchers are often used for pitchers who specialize in throwing knuckleballs because of the difficulty of catching such an inconsistent and erratic pitch.

The catcher has the physically risky job of blocking the plate to prevent base runners from reaching home and scoring runs.

Prominent examples of catchers switching position (mainly first base) in mid-career include Mike Napoli, Craig Biggio, B. J. Surhoff, Joe Torre, Víctor Martínez, Joe Mauer, Carlos Santana, Brandon Inge, and Dale Murphy (although Murphy was also known as a poor thrower to the pitcher and to second base, nearly hitting pitchers in the process).

The larger or heavier the catcher, the greater the health risks associated with repeatedly assuming a crouching or squatting position; knees and backs are especially vulnerable to "wear-and-tear" injuries.

As of 2024, twenty men who played primarily as catchers have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, New York.